Turkey preparing to transfer 150 mercenaries to Libya

Amira Sherif

In a move that confirms the reality of Turkey’s ambitions in Libya and the efforts made by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to find a foothold in the North African country, media reports have stated that 150 members of the opposition factions and pro-Turkish militias have crossed the Hawar Kilis border crossing between Syria and Turkey, heading to Turkey in preparation to be transported to Libya to support the Government of National Accord (GNA) forces.

The reports indicated that 150 members of the Turkish-backed opposition factions from the Hamza Division, Sultan Murad Division, Legion of Sham and Legion of Glory went to Turkey to be transferred to Libya and join the rest of the factions there, indicating that the work of these mercenaries in light of the cessation of fighting required to stay in the camps. The militants receive different courses in terms of tactics, sports and training in some weapons, and they are also prohibited to leave these camps under threat of imprisonment and deportation. However, there are cases of escaping from these camps with the aim of migrating to Europe by sea, although some of them are captured and thrown into prisons, and some of them die along the way, while some reach safety in Italy.

Syrian mercenaries in Libya have not received any financial compensation for more than six months, with continuous promises that the issue will be resolved by their leaders soon.

The number of Syrian mercenaries in Libya reached 16,000 fighters, whom Turkey sent from northern Syria to fight alongside the GNA forces, which are supported by the Turkish government.

It is noteworthy that Turkey supports extremist groups in Libya and there are Turkish proxies on the ground in Libya, as well as support for militias of foreign terrorist fighters coming from Syria to Libya, which led to the exacerbation of the conflict in Libya.

In a related context, the Middle East website confirmed that Turkey condemned the interception by the Libyan forces stationed in eastern Libya to one of its ships in the Mediterranean, saying that it should be allowed to resume its journey to western Libya and warning of possible retaliatory operations.

The Turkish Foreign Ministry said that targeting Turkish interests in Libya will have dire consequences, adding that these elements that target Turkish interests will be considered legitimate targets.

In turn, Libyan National Army (LNA) spokesman Ahmed al-Mesmari said that the ship was sailing under the Jamaican flag and heading to the city of Misrata, hundreds of miles away from the place of its seizure.